Restaurant sweetgreen strikes a chord with Sweetlife festival

And, the founders of restaurant company sweetgreen say, with a constant desire to connect music in some way to their brand.

“When we open a restaurant, the first thing we start talking about is when the speakers are going to come in,” said co-founder Jonathan Neman.

Neman jokes that the first incarnation of the restaurant’s now-popular Sweetlife Food & Music Festival occurred four years ago, when the founders blasted music outside their second salad location to attract more customers into their then-struggling store.

The effort became something a bit more formal in 2010, when the first Sweetlife festival was held — essentially a block party in a Dupont Circle parking lot with street dancers, the unveiling of the company’s first food truck, about 700 attendees and sweetgreen co-founder Nathaniel Ru acting as the DJ.

Now on April 28, a company that specializes in local greens, nonfat frozen yogurt and quinoa is hosting a multistage festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion with high-profile performers and tickets selling for $75 a pop. The event’s growth speaks to sweetgreen’s evolution as a brand promoting not just salad, but a healthy — and hip — lifestyle.

Last year, sweetgreen teamed up with concert promoter I.M.P. Inc. and Merriweather Post and signed 10 acts for the 2011 festival, featuring The Strokes. Sweetgreen also worked to make the event “theirs” by redoing the concessions to offer local food and recyclable products and making the event carbon-negative by purchasing energy credits. The festival staff distributed sweetgreen bracelets that could be exchanged for free salads.

“We didn’t want it to be super-sponsored,” Ru said. “We wanted people to come for the music first and then realize they can go to a show and eat healthy, and not just have to have beer and a slice of pizza.”

Sweetgreen would not disclose its festival costs, but the ticket sales were substantial in 2011. The event sold out its 15,000-ticket capacity at $50 each.

The Sweetlife festival has helped build the company’s reputation as a supporter of the local food movement, said Anthony Pappas, president of Pappas Group, an Arlington branding company. “People gravitate towards brands that have a kind of purpose and want to be associated with it.”

This year, sweetgreen joined with New York-based food blog Serious Eats to create a “Food Forest,” showcasing more than 25 brands, including Washington-area companies like Bethesda-based Honest Tea Inc., regional brands like New York cult favorite momofuku milk bar and local farmers like Bev Eggleston. The founders hope to draw people from as far as New York and Philadelphia.

Musical acts will occupy two stages, with 20 total performers, including The Shins.

“The college students may come for the music, while older folks may be into the food,” Jammet said.

This year’s festival has an increased capacity for about 20 percent more attendees and is on track to sell out. The more expensive $75 ticket prices include the food festival; a VIP ticket with higher-end food and access is going for $125.

Sweetgreen would like to incorporate more music into its business plan through events like its “sweetlife sessions,” where musicians perform at the salad restaurants.

Sweetgreen, which does not disclose revenue, is up to 11 restaurants and about 300 employees, 15 of whom are based at its Dupont Circle headquarters. Later this year, the company will open a downtown location at 19th and L streets NW and a restaurant at the Mosaic District in Falls Church.